1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a panel structure of a surface-discharge-type alternating-current plasma display panel.
The present application claims priority from Japanese Application No. 2002-60071, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of the Related Art
At the present time, surface-discharge-type AC plasma display panels (hereinafter referred to as xe2x80x9cPDPxe2x80x9d) have received attention as a large-sized flat color-screen display, and have increasingly become commonly used in ordinary homes.
A reflection-type PDP of a three electrode structure is well known as one kind of surface-discharge-type AC PDP.
The three-electrode reflection-type PDP includes a front glass substrate and a back glass substrate which are situated opposite each other with a discharge-gas-filled discharge space in between.
The front glass substrate has an inner surface on which a plurality of row electrode pairs and a dielectric layer covering the row electrode pairs are provided. The row electrode pair is constituted of paired row electrodes (discharge sustaining electrodes) extending in a row direction and arranged in parallel to each other to form a display line.
The back glass substrate has an inner surface on which a plurality of column electrodes (addressing electrodes) extend in the column direction.
A discharge cell (unit light emitting area) is formed at each intersection of the column electrode and the row electrode pair in the discharge space, and has a red-, green- or blue-colored phosphor layer formed therein.
In the three-electrode reflection-type PDP, first, an addressing discharge is selectively produced between one row electrode in the row electrode pair and the column electrode to form wall charges on the dielectric layer covering the row electrode pair or to erase the wall charges formed thereon.
As a result of the addressing discharge, the discharge cells in which the wall charges are generated on the dielectric layer (lighted cells) and the discharge cells in which no wall charges are generated on the dielectric layer (non-lighted cells) are distributed over the panel surface in accordance with an inputted video signal.
After that, a sustaining discharge is caused between the row electrodes of each row electrode pair in the lighted cells. The sustaining discharge causes radiation of vacuum ultraviolet light from a xenon gas included in the discharge gas. The vacuum ultraviolet light excites the red, green or blue phosphor layer formed in each lighted cell to allow the phosphor layer to emit light for the matrix display of an image.
The conventional configuration of the three-electrode reflection-type PDP as described above requires a complicated manufacturing process for forming the electrodes on both the front and back glass substrates, and also high precision for the positional relationship between the electrodes provided on the front and back glass substrates.
Such requirements give rise to the problem of an increase in manufacturing costs. The large number of components formed on each substrate has the disadvantage of further increasing the manufacturing costs.
In recent years, therefore, in order to reduce the cost and increase the high definition of the display image, a PDP having the row electrodes and the column electrodes formed on either the front or the back glass substrate has been suggested.
The PDP of the above type is designed such that the row electrode pair and the column electrode extending in the direction at right angles to the row electrode pair concerned are formed in a double layer construction with the dielectric layer interposed in between, on a glass substrate situated opposite another glass substrate having the phosphor layer formed thereon.
However, as compared with the case in which the row electrode pairs and the column electrodes are formed separately on the two facing glass substrates, the formation of the row electrode pairs and the column electrodes on the same single glass substrate leads to a decrease in a distance between the row electrode pair and the column electrode, and accordingly the capacitance arising from the intersection of the row electrode pair and the column electrode is much higher. The extremely high capacitance creates a bottleneck in the commercialization of the PDP having the row electrode pairs and the column electrodes formed on the same single glass substrate.
The present invention has been made to solve the problems associated with the three-electrode surface-discharge-type alternating-current plasma display panels as described above.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a plasma display panel having the form that row electrode pairs and column electrodes are formed on one or other of substrates, and capable of reducing capacitance arising from intersection of the row electrode pair and the column electrode for the sake of commercialization.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a plasma display panel having a reduced number of components for cost reduction.
To attain these objects, according to a first feature of the present invention, a plasma display panel including: a pair of first and second substrates opposite each other with a discharge space in between; a plurality of row electrode bodies provided on an inner surface of the first substrate, and each extending in a row direction and arranged at required intervals in a column direction; a plurality of row electrode jutting parts provided on the inner surface of the first substrate, and connected to each of the row electrode bodies at required intervals, and each protruding from the row electrode body in the column direction on both sides of the row electrode body; a plurality of column electrodes provided on the inner surface of the first substrate, and each separated from the row electrode body through a dielectric layer, covering the row electrode bodies and the row electrode jutting parts, in a thickness direction of the first substrate, and also disposed opposite a midpoint of the row electrode jutting parts adjacent to each other in the row direction, a leading end of each of the row electrode jutting parts being opposite a leading end of another row electrode jutting part, connected to the row electrode body adjacent thereto, with a first discharge gap interposed in between, one of the row electrode jutting parts facing and paired with each other being opposite the column electrode with a second discharge gap interposed in between; and phosphor layers each provided on a surface of the second substrate, facing the first substrate, and at a position opposite the paired row electrode jutting parts placed opposite each other with the first gap in between.
The plasma display panel according to the first feature has discharge cells formed within the discharge space defined between the two substrates, and each opposite the paired row electrode jutting parts opposite to each other with the first discharge gap in between.
In an addressing period after completion of a concurrent reset period, a scan pulse is applied to the row electrode bodies in sequence, and a display data pulse corresponding to display data of a video signal is applied to the column electrodes. An addressing discharge is then selectively produced in the second discharge gap between the column electrode and the row electrode jutting part which is connected to the row electrode body and opposite the column electrode concerned. As a result, the discharge cells in which wall charges are generated on the dielectric layers (lighted cells) and the discharge cells in which no wall charge is formed thereon (non-light cells) are distributed over the panel surface.
In the subsequent sustaining emission period, a discharge-sustaining pulse is applied to the row electrode bodies to cause a sustaining discharge between the row electrode jutting parts paired opposite to each other with the first discharge gap in between in each lighted cell.
The sustaining discharge allows in each lighted cell radiation of vacuum ultraviolet light from a xenon gas included in a discharge gas sealed in the discharge space. The vacuum ultraviolet light excites the red-, green- or blue-colored phosphor layer formed on the second substrate to allow the phosphor layer to emit light for the matrix display of an image.
According to the first feature, in between the adjacent display lines (lines each extending in the row direction in which the paired row electrode jutting parts are arranged), the row electrode jutting parts share the use of the single row electrode body. That is, only one row electrode body is disposed between the adjacent display lines. This design decreases the number of intersections of the row electrode bodies and the column electrodes to approximately half for reduction in the opposition area in the intersections. Hence capacitance arising from between the row electrode bodies and the column electrodes is significantly reduced.
Thus, it becomes possible to proceed toward the commercialization of plasma display panels of a form having three electrodes formed on one or other of the substrates.
Further, according to the first feature, the area of the non-display zone of the PDP between adjacent display lines has the advantage of being approximately equal to the area of one row electrode body. This fact successfully reduces the spacing between the display lines to permit an increase in the definition of an image to be generated, and also an increase in the area of the display zone of each display cell for the improvement of the luminous efficiency.
Still further, according to the first feature, the formation of the row electrodes and the column electrodes on the first substrate simplifies the configuration of the second substrate, resulting in the simplification of the manufacturing process and cost reduction. In addition, the row electrode jutting part and the column electrode are placed near each other and also the addressing discharge between the row electrode jutting part and the column electrode is produced without intervention of the phosphor layer. These facts make it possible to decrease the addressing-discharge starting voltage to enhance the addressing margin, and further to suppress the deterioration of the phosphor layer caused by the ion attack in the addressing discharge.
To attain the aforementioned objects, the plasma display panel has, in addition to the configuration of the first feature, a second feature in which at least one of the two, either the column electrode or the row electrode body, has a width of a portion intersecting with the column electrode or the row electrode body smaller than that of other portions thereof.
According to the second feature, the intersection and opposition area of the column electrode and the row electrode body is further decreased. Due to the reduction in this area, the capacitance arising from between the column electrode and the row electrode body is further reduced.
To attain the aforementioned objects, the plasma display panel has, in addition to the configuration of the second feature, a third feature in which the row electrode body has the width of the portion intersecting with the column electrode smaller than that of the other portions thereof.
According to the third feature, the intersection and opposition area of the column electrode and the row electrode body is advantageously decreased to reduce the capacitance arising from between the column electrode and the row electrode body.
To attain the aforementioned objects, the plasma display panel has, in addition to the configuration of the second feature, a fourth feature in which the column electrode has the width of the portion intersecting with the row electrode body smaller than that of the other portions thereof.
According to the fourth feature, a further decrease in the intersection and opposition area of the column electrode and the row electrode body is achieved. Thus, a further reduction in the capacitance arising from between the column electrode and the row electrode body is provided.
To attain the aforementioned objects, the plasma display panel has, in addition to the configuration of the second feature, a fifth feature in which the column electrode and the row electrode body each have the width of the portion intersecting with the other smaller than the width of other portions thereof.
According to the fifth feature, an even further decrease in the intersection and opposition area of the column electrode and the row electrode body is achieved. Thus, the capacitance arising from between the column electrode and the row electrode body is further reduced.
To attain the aforementioned objects, the plasma display panel has, in addition to the configuration of the first feature, a sixth feature in which the column electrode has a column electrode body extending in the column direction, and column electrode protrusions each electrically connected to the column electrode body and each located opposite the row electrode jutting part, connected to one of the paired row electrode bodies, with the second discharge gap interposed in between.
According to the sixth feature, the display data pulse applied to the column electrode body is conducted to the column electrode protrusion, and thus the addressing discharge is produced between the column electrode protrusion concerned and the row electrode jutting part which are opposite each other with the second discharge gap in between.
To attain the aforementioned objects, the plasma display panel has, in addition to the configuration of the sixth feature, a seventh feature in which the row electrode body and the row electrode jutting part are covered with a first dielectric layer, and at least the column electrode body of the column electrode is covered with a second dielectric layer formed on a back surface of the first dielectric layer.
According to the seventh invention, the row electrode is insulated from the column electrode by covering the row electrode body and the row electrode jutting part with the first dielectric layer and covering the column electrode body of the column electrode with the second dielectric layer.
To attain the aforementioned objects, the plasma display panel has, in addition to the configuration of the seventh feature, an eighth feature in which the first dielectric layer has a thickness larger than that of the second dielectric layer.
According to the eighth feature, the fact that the first dielectric layer interposed between the row electrode body and the column electrode body has a thickness larger than that of the second dielectric layer allows a further reduction in the capacitance arising from between the row electrode body and the column electrode body.
To attain the aforementioned objects, the plasma display panel has, in addition to the configuration of the sixth feature, a ninth feature in which the column electrode protrusion is formed to be flush with the row electrode jutting part, and coupled to the column electrode body.
According to the ninth feature, the display data pulse applied to the column electrode body is conducted to the column electrode protrusion, and thus the addressing discharge is caused between the column electrode protrusion concerned and the row electrode jutting part which are opposite to each other with the second discharge gap in between.
To attain the aforementioned objects, the plasma display panel has, in addition to the configuration of the sixth feature, a tenth feature in which the column electrode protrusion is formed to be flush with the column electrode body and coupled to the column electrode body concerned.
According to the tenth feature, the display data pulse applied to the column electrode body is conducted to the column electrode protrusion, and thus the addressing discharge is caused between the column electrode protrusion concerned and the row electrode jutting part which are opposite to each other with the second discharge gap in between.
To attain the aforementioned objects, the plasma display panel has, in addition to the configuration of the sixth feature, an eleventh feature in which the column electrode protrusion is formed to be flush with the row electrode jutting part, and coupled to the column electrode body through the dielectric layer in terms of capacitance.
According to the eleventh feature, the display data pulse applied to the column electrode body is conducted to the column electrode protrusion by capacitance, and thus the addressing discharge is caused between the column electrode protrusion concerned and the row electrode jutting part which are opposite to each other with the second discharge gap in between.
To attain the aforementioned objects, the plasma display panel has, in addition to the configuration of the sixth feature, a twelfth feature in which the row electrode jutting part has a base end connected to the row electrode body and having a width smaller than that of the leading end thereof in the row direction, and the widened heads of the leading ends are opposite each other with the first discharge gap in between, and the column electrode protrusion is formed opposite the widened head of the row electrode jutting part.
According to the twelfth feature, the addressing discharge caused between the column electrode protrusion and the widened head of the row electrode jutting part which are opposite to each other with the second discharge gap in between is improved in discharge efficiency to decrease occurrence of false discharge (false emission) and also reduce an addressing driving voltage.
To attain the aforementioned objects, the plasma display panel has, in addition to the configuration of the first feature, a thirteenth feature of further including a partition wall provided on the surface of the second substrate facing the first substrate and opposite at least one of the row electrode body and the column electrode, and extending in one of the row and column directions to partition the discharge space defined between the first and second substrates.
According to the thirteenth feature, the present invention provides an increase in the opening area of the discharge cell because either one or both of the row electrode body and column electrode is situated opposite the partition wall partitioning the discharge space.
These and other objects and features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings.